Leaders exemplify qualities that we all wish we had in life. A defined vision, a staunch determination and an unyielding passion for their followers. When it comes to basketball, coaches are no different from the rest of the world.
Each must find their style, their own way of accomplishing their goals. Their paths may be very different, but there is no denying that the goal remains the same: winning championships. Very few have done just that for the Warriors, but those that have, are immortalized by their success.
4. Edward Gotllieb
To find success for the Warriors, the best place to start is just that: the start. Edward Gotllieb was the first Head Coach of the Philadelphia Warriors, and is only third to two other great Warriors coaches in terms of games coached. Gotllieb won the franchises first ever title in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which later became the NBA. He coached the likes of Joe Fulks, Paul Arizin and future Warriors coach George Senesky.
He won the franchise’s first championship the year the BAA was launched in 1946.
The Rookie of the Year trophy is named after Gottlieb, named the ‘Eddie Gottlieb Trophy’.
As both owner and coach, he sold the Warriors to Franklin Mieuli in 1961 when the Warriors moved to the Bay. He stayed on in the NBA as one of the most influential members of the league’s head office. He died at age 81 in Philadelphia.
3. Mark Jackson
Some will find this selection odd, as Mark Jackson is entering only his third season as the Warriors Head Coach, but I believe he’s already made a huge impact on this ball club.
When you ask a Warriors player what they think of their coach, there is never a negative word to be said. You can see the respect he gives his players, and the response from them is overwhelming. Even when Andrew Bogut hit a wall during the playoffs, or Stephen Curry rolled an ankle, they were ready to get back out there and give it their all. Not many coaches can inspire that in their players.
Andre Iguodala, the star of the Warriors off-season, was lured to the Bay by not only the front office, but Mark Jackson, saying:
I watched him play a lot growing up… I plan on having a great relationship with him, especially seeing the guys perform under him’.
It takes a particular coach to help change the perception of a franchise in this league, and Jackson is helping to do just that. It might be a little pre-emptive to call this one, but I’ve got a good feeling.
2. Don Nelson
Nellie Ball. Small Ball. ‘We Believe’. These are just some of the phrases we can associate with Don Nelson’s career as the Warriors head coach. He never bought a championship to the Bay, but he definitely brought something unique to the Warriors as a coach.
Famous for his undersized, run and gun offence, Don Nelson created an entire style of play called ‘Nelly Ball’ which focused on mismatching his athletic, generally undersized players with the more traditional players on the opponent’s squad. Many criticised the style, pointing to the fact if the tempo was set that fast, then you wouldn’t have the energy to play defence, which as the old adage says, wins championships. They may have been right.
The most important year of Nelsons run as head coach is potentially the 2006-2007 ‘We Believe’ season, in which the Warriors broke their playoff drought and were the third team in the history of the NBA to win a series as the 8th seed in their conference. The team is known for its charisma and bad-boy personas, which formed a very tight knit group of players, just like the current Warriors squad.
He has the most games coached for a Warriors HC, clocking in 537 games from 1988-1995 and 328 from 2006-2010.
Just like the We Believe team, Don Nelson’s time as a Warriors coach came to an eventual end. He resigned at the dawn of the new ownership group, but will always hold his place in Warriors folklore.
1. Al Attles
It’s impossible to argue the impact that Al Attles has had on the Warriors as both a player and as a coach (and at one point, a combination of both). Not only did he lead the Warriors to playoff appearances as a player, but brought one home to the Bay Area as a coach in 1975, the last time the Warriors won the trophy.
Attles took the reigns from George Lee while he was still a member of the team as a player, and led them to the playoffs, only to be eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. He went on to have great success as the Warriors coach, leading them to the playoffs 6 times in his tenure, and as previously mentioned, won the Finals in 1975 with a team that included Rick Barry, Jaamal Wilkes and Butch Beard (which is one of the best names in NBA history).
Al Attles didn’t just end his involvement with the Warriors once he was no longer coaching them. The man still attends nearly every Warriors home game and acts as an ambassador for the franchise.
His jersey number, 16, was retired in 1977 and still hangs in the rafters.
What Al brought to the table was a dedication that we can understand as Warriors fans, who would do anything we could to see our team win. He exemplified commitment to excellence and leading his team to the ultimate goal, the NBA title. It’s for this reason, I believe he is the best coach the Warriors have ever had.
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